Hyd Girl’s Murder In US: Suspect Arrested In India After 8 Months

In January this year, a 27 year old Hyderabad woman named Nikitha Rao Godishala was found dead in an apartment in Columbia, Maryland in USA. Prior to this, her ex-boyfriend Arjun Sharma filed a missing complaint and fled the country immediately.

Almost eight months after a case was registered based on the complaint lodged by the victim’s father, Hyderabad police have arrested 26 year old Arjun Sharma from Agra in connection with murder of Nikitha. Officers tracked Sharma down at his flat in Agra and was presented before the Patiala House Court in New Delhi as US authorities seek his return to face criminal charges.

Nikitha was allegedly murdered during New Year’s Eve and her body was packed in a suitcase. Sharma reportedly stabbed her multiple times over a financial dispute. He left US after filing a complaint with Maryland. An investigation was launched and manhunt began after suspicion over his role in the murder.

Nikitha had moved to the US in 2021 to earn her Master’s degree from the University of Maryland before taking a job as a data analyst. While early reports labeled Sharma as her ex-boyfriend, her family clarified that he was a former flatmate.

Nikitha’s father stated that she had moved to her own apartment two years prior and that the two had unresolved financial disagreements over a large sum of money.

Sharma now remains in custody as central authorities process the extradition request made under the India-US Extradition Treaty.